LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE: CRITICAL MULTILITERACIES
Subject: English
Class: 9Hf
Unit: Film Study
Topic: Million Dollar Arm; analysis of
movie poster.
Text (title, type, source)
Million Dollar Arm
Achievement Objective(s)
Students will show an increasing understanding of how texts are shaped for different purposes and audiences.
Learning Outcome(s) and/or Learning Intentions
Assessment and/or Success Criteria
What should the students learn?
How do we know what we have learnt?
The visual and verbal techniques used by the producers of a text to;
Students will be able to identify visual and verbal techniques used in the movie
- appeal to an audience
poster.
- communicate ideas and information
Students will be able to discuss the purpose of visual and verbal techniques
- position and influence the reader
used in the movie poster.
Students will begin to analyse the effect of visual and verbal techniques used in
the movie poster – the “So What?”
Four Resources:
☐ Code Breaking
Semiotic System ☐ Audio
☐ Gestural
☐ Linguistic
☐ Meaning Making
☐ Text User
☐ Text Analyst
☐ Spatial
☐ Visual
How does this lesson support students to develop one or more of the Four
Resources?
Through discussion and analysis of the linguistic, spatial and visual
componants of the text;
Students will ‘gain meaning from texts and illustrations’
Students will draw on their own experiences with movie posters
Students will compare their own experiences with similar texts (movie
posters)
Students will then go on to think about how the text represents certain views,
voices and interests and silence others.
Students will begin to understand how texts are crafted to the interests and
ideologies of the writer.
Students will begin to understand that texts influence people’s ideas.
“Developing a future-focussed literacy programme”
susan.sandretto@otago.ac.nz
Key Competency Focus: Using language, symbols and texts
How is this key competency developed in this lesson?
Students will investigate how language and symbols are used in texts to create meaning, communicate and represent information.
Time
Student Learning Activities
Starter
Engaging students’ interest
Students have being looking at movie posters in previous lessons and this
opening task will get them to draw on that prior knowledge and apply it to
this poster.
Finding out existing knowledge and skills
Through discussion and students’ written answers, students will
demonstrate their prior knowledge by analysing the film poster.
Based on earlier lessons where students participated in the meaning of
texts (film posters), ask students to identify specific techniques (visual,
spatial and lingusitic) in this poster. They will write this in their books in a
table with the three semiotic systems along the top.
Teacher Activities/Actions
(Including Focus Questions)
Place copy of the poster onto board through data projector.
Write three semiotic systems on the board reminder about what these
each mean, examples of each. Metalanguage.
Feedback; Teacher writes range of responces on white board over image
(annotation).
In pairs, discussion first then feedback to class. Ask students to try and
identify the genre of the movie based on the poster. Get them to justify
their ideas.
Participate in verbal discussion.
“Developing a future-focussed literacy programme”
Questioning;
What does the poster tell us about the man in the foreground?
What semiotic systems give you this idea?
What is the aim of a movie poster?
Does this poster succeed in this?
Who do you think created this poster?
How would this poster be different if it was made by someone who came
from India?
Why do you think that?
susan.sandretto@otago.ac.nz
So, whose ‘interests’ are being served here? Who benefits from this
poster?
Is there anyone perspective missing? What/Whose?
Making it relevant
Create a concept drawing for a film to be made about an American man
who comes over to NZ to teach Maori how to play Grid Iron (or Baseball?).
What visual, spactial, linguistic elements would you use?
In groups of four;
Show your poster to your group.
Group members are to ask the creator why they chose specific elements
(visual, linguistic, spatial) to use in their poster.
Conclusion (wrap up)
Reflection
Go back to initial poster….write down one question you would ask the
creator of this text.
Equipment
Data projector
Ensure all students have a copy of critical questions pertaining to “Textual
Purposes”, “Textual Features and features”, “Gaps and Silences”, Power
and Interest”.
Ask students to use these specific questions when investigating texts of
their peers.
If time, ask students to read out their questions.
Resources
Copy of poster for Million Dollar Arm
Critical reflection
Student achievement – Where to next?
Teacher practice – What have I learnt in terms of curriculum literacies?
What will I change?
“Developing a future-focussed literacy programme”
susan.sandretto@otago.ac.nz